Aurora Residents Meet To Take Back Streets

Eastside Pride Day To Reunite Community

Shortly after the death last fall of 15-year-old Bill E. Lundy, residents of Aurora's east side met to seek answers in the slaying of a boy whose only offense was to wear the wrong color jacket.

On Saturday, that effort to quell violence will lead to another gathering: Eastside Pride Day. The event will be held between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Edna Rollins Elementary School, 950 Kane St.

The community picnic and information fair is being sponsored by a coalition of groups that came together after the slaying and began cooperative efforts among residents, police and schools to work on local problems, including gang violence.

Lundy, by all accounts a good teenager, was on his way home from school last November when gang members mistook him for a rival gangbanger because of the jacket he was wearing, according to authorities.

"We want to show our pride, to let people know how proud we are of the east side," said Pat Davenport, director of Cities in Schools, which runs the alternative school Lundy was attending at the time of his death. "We also want to draw more people to our efforts, so we can organize our neighbors and take back our community."

The sponsoring coalition is trying to establish parenting classes at local schools, establish safe school zones and launch mentoring programs for youths.

In addition to free food, a garage sale and a "moonwalk" ride, Pride Day--organized by Ald. Scheketa Hart and officially proclaimed Friday by Mayor David Pierce--will have 14 social service organizations providing information.

Police Sgt. Duane Hazelwood, who grew up on the east side, said it's time for the 99 percent of east side residents who are law-abiding, hard-working neighbors to let the 1 percent "who ruin it for the rest" know the community does not belong to them.